LSU Gold

Baseball Drops Game 1 at Ole Miss

by Bill Franques
Baseball at Ole Miss - G1 Audio Replay Box Score +0
Baseball Drops Game 1 at Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss broke a 3-3 tie with 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Thursday night as the Rebels posted a 14-3 win over LSU in Game 1 of an SEC series at Swayze Field.

Ole Miss improved to 33-10 overall in 11-8 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 25-18 overall and 9-10 in conferenc play.

The series will resume with Game 2 at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday in a contest that may be heard on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network and viewed on SEC Network +, accessible at WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.

Ole Miss left-hander Ryan Rolison (6-3) earned the win Thursday, limiting LSU to three runs on six hits in seven innings with one walk and five strikeouts.

LSU left-hander John Kodros (0-1), the first of four relievers after starter Zack Hess, was charged with the loss as he did not record an out in the sixth inning and allowed three runs on two hits.

Hess worked the first five innings for LSU, throwing 108 pitches. The right-hander was charged with three runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts. The LSU bullpen, however, struggled in relief of Hess as four pitchers combined to allow 11 runs on six hits in the sixth inning.

“It’s a shame that it got out of hand, because it was a great game until the sixth inning,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Zack was competing like crazy; unfortunately, he had 108 pitches through five innings and we had to take him out.”

Ole Miss sent 16 men to the plate in the deciding inning, which also included six walks and a hit batter.

Ole Miss struck for a run in the first inning against Hess on a two-out RBI single by first baseman Cole Zabowski.

The Tigers tied the game in the top of the second when first baseman Austin Bain doubled and later scored from third base on catcher Nick Coomes‘ groundout.

LSU added a run in the second when third baseman Josh Smith drew a one-out walk, centerfielder Zach Watson doubled into the right-centerfield gap, and Smith scored on rightfielder Antoine Duplantis‘ grounder to first.

The Rebels tied the game in the fourth when third baseman Tyler Keenan scored from third on a Hess wild pitch, and Ole Miss grabbed a 3-2 advantage in the fifth on an RBI groundout by centerfielder Will Golsan.

LSU evened the score at 3-3 in the top of the sixth when Duplantis singled, moved to second on Bain’s single, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI grounder by Coomes.

Highlights of the 11-run sixth inning for the Rebels included an RBI double by rightfielder Tim Rowe – his third double of the game – and a pair of two-run singles by catcher Nick Fortes and by Golsan.